With layers of moist and sweet cake, and an addictive cinnamon and sugar streusel, this Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake is a bakery-worthy treat. This is the perfect side dish to go with coffee or enjoy as dessert.

Two slices of layered coffee cake on a piece of brown parchment paper

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

This classic recipe has actually been on my website since 2016, but I made some adjustments to the recipe which have just made it that much better. The original recipe was a single layer, much smaller cake. I’ve transformed it into a monstrous double-layer coffee cake loaded with a cinnamon and sugar streusel- in every bite.

I made several variations of this recipe, but at the end of the day, the best way to enjoy this cake involves a big fat slice. There is a ton of butter, sugar, and flour in this recipe. That’s not a mistake. This coffee cake is nearly 1.5 to 2-inches tall.

Even though there’s no actual coffee in this recipe, it’s the perfect complement to a cup of your favorite brew. Coffee cake can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch or dessert. I could think of so many excuses to make this, but a few that come to mind are: bridal showers, mother’s day brunch, Christmas morning breakfast or even for a potluck.

a slice of coffee cake with a few bites taken out on a gold polk dot plate with a gold fork,

an overhead view of a slice of coffee cake with a bite removed, sitting on a gold polka dot plate

Why I Love This Coffee Cake

The original recipe was already good, but this updated version is just straight-up amazing. It’s all about the layers.

It’s super buttery & moist– not a dry crumb in the house. Unless you over baked it.
So much streusel! I doubled the original recipe so there’s plently of streusel in every bite
It’s all about the layers: Some coffee cakes just have one layer of cake and one layer of streusel on top but I took it a step further and made this a layered coffee cake. This baby is THICK.

Ingredients Needed

This Sour Cream Coffee Cake is made with basic baking ingredients, but there’s a lot of butter, sugar and flour involved. Remember how thick this cake is?

For the Cake

Unsalted butter – at room temperature
Granulated sugar
Eggs – at room temperature
Pure vanilla extract
Sour cream – at room temperature
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt

For the Streusel Topping

All-purpose flour
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Unsalted butter – melted for the streusel

For The Glaze

Powedered sugar- gently sift to prevent clumps in the glaze
Milk
Vanilla extract- just a touch for flavor
Lemon Juice- totally optional but it can help cut the sweetness

How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Making this coffee cake is simple, as you just layer the cake and the streusel topping. The end result is a melt-in-your-mouth sweet cinnamon dessert or breakfast!

Prepare the oven and pans. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.

Combine wet cake ingredients. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs one at a time followed by sour cream and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and slowly beat into the wet ingredients. Once incorporated, use a spatula to mix by hand and ensure everything at the bottom of the bowl is incorporated.

a red spatula with creamed butter and sugar being held over top of a glass mixing bowl — Creamed Butter and Sugar

a glass mixing bowl with cake batter — Creamed Butter and Sugar

Make the streusel: Mix the dry ingredients and combine with the melted butter, mix together until well blended.

a glass mixing bowl with brown sugar, cinnamon and flour

a white bowl with melted butter being poured into a another glass bowl

Layer the cake. Pour half batter into the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle half of the streusel topping. Pour the remaining batter over the streusel, spreading evenly, and finish with the remaining topping.

birds eye view of a pan with cake batter

birds eye view of a pan with streusel topping over cake batter

Bake. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. Be sure it’s cooked all the way through in the center. Allow it to cool for a while before slicing. See the recipe notes regarding tenting the pan to prevent over browning.

Add the glaze: I recommend adding this just before serving. Simply combine the powdered sugar with the vanilla, milk, and lemon juice, whisking until combined. Be sure to slowly add the liquid ingredients to control the consistency. You can adjust the thickness of the glaze. If it’s too thick, add more milk. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Follow These Tips

Keep these things in mind for the best coffee cake every time!

Room temperature ingredients: I know it’s a pain, however, with the amount of ingredients in this recipe, it will really help to ensure it’s properly mixed.
Creaming the butter and sugar: There’s a lot of butter in this recipe. Cutting the butter into cubes prior to adding into the mixer will help to break it down. But spend several minutes beating the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. If you’re still seeing a coarse sand texture, you need to beat for longer.
Mix by hand: The batter will be heavy and thick. When dividing the batter in the pan, be sure to give it a few stirs in the mixing bowl. It’s likely that the batter on the bottom of the pan is not fully incorprated, which will result in uneven baking and sinking.
Tent when baking: This needs quick a bit of time to bake all the way through. So if you find the topping is getting to browned, cover it with tin foil for the last 15-20 minutes.
Top with a glaze: If you want to take make this cake extra sweet, you can add a simple drizzle on top. It’s just powdered sugar, milk and a touch of vanilla exract. A little goes a long way here.

How To Make A Single Layer Cake

Maybe you want to enjoy this coffee cake but a full batch is way too much for you. The good news is, this can easily be adapted into a smaller cake made in an 8-inch square pan. I recommend 8-inch over 9-inch because the 9-inch pan is too thin. The single-layer cake has just a top layer of streusel but don’t worry, there’s still plenty in every bite. See specific instructions in the recipe card notes section.

How to Store Coffee Cake

If you are preparing ahead of time, I recommend waiting to add the icing until you’re ready to serve. This will last for up to 3-4 days at room temperature when keeping them in an airtight container. It probably won’t even last that long because it’s too good.

Freeze This For Later

This coffee cake is perfect for freezing. To freeze, allow it to cool completely and then remove it from the pan. Wrap it twice in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil, make sure all corners and edges are overlapped to prevent any freezer burn. You can either wrap the whole cake or wrap it in slices. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw on the counter for a few hours.